John D. Lloyd, PhD, CPE
Board Certified Ergonomist
32824 Michigan Avenue
San Antonio, Florida 33576
Tel: 813-624-8986
Email: DrJohnLloyd@Tampabay.RR.com
Preliminary Evaluation of the Reliability and Criterion Validity of the Actiwatch-Score
Abstract: The restoration of normal physical activity is a primary objective of most chronic pain rehabilitative interventions, yet few clinically practical objective measures of activation exist. Actigraphy is one technology that promises to fill this void in the field of pain outcomes assessment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the measurement properties of one of several commercially available actigraphs, the Actiwatch-Score (AW-S). Separate trials were conducted to examine concordance between units when worn concurrently at the same and different body sites (inter-unit & inter-site reliability) and to compare the AW-S to a validated optical three-dimensional motion tracking system (criterion validity). The data indicate that the AW-S has excellent inter-unit reliability and good criterion validity, but inter-site reliability varied with activity type. These results suggest that further investigation of this device, and those like it, is warranted and likely to yield valuable data regarding the optimal application of this technology.
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